Polish your CV with some simple tips
February 25th 2015
When you are in the market for a new role, your CV is the most important document that you own. To avoid letting a bad CV get in the way of your dream job, follow the simple tips outlined below:
- Tailor your CV specifically for each position that you are applying for. Your CV needs to mirror the skills and attributes that are provided in the job description. However, this does not mean you should embellish your skills. Stick to the truth and filter out any irrelevant information.
- For technical roles, include a skills matrix that details the degree of commercial exposure that you have to the various technologies. This will help a hiring manager to quickly assess your technical skills.
- For technical roles, include all of the key technologies that you work with. Many recruiters use software packages that search a CV for relevant keywords e.g. Active Directory. If your CV does not contain the words searched for, your application may not receive the attention it deserves.
- Include links to any websites that you use to promote your professional brand e.g. LinkedIn, Github, Stack Exchange, your own personal website, etc. If the hiring manager is going through CV’s held on file, these websites will provide up-to-date information on your career.
- Use figures to back up your professional achievements e.g. what was the budget of the project that you successfully implemented ahead of schedule, what % you increased sales by, etc.
- Avoid simple mistakes. Surprisingly, a large percentage of CV’s contain a least one grammatical error and spelling mistake. Your CV is the most important document you own, and it is the first impression that you will make on a hiring manager. Use spell check and if possible, have a friend read over it.
- Format your CV in a professional, easy to read manner.
- Your achievements over the last three years have the biggest impact on your suitability for a position. Place the emphasis on these when including details. Do not focus on past positions that hold little relevance to the position that you are applying for.
- Include information on your interests and hobbies. This will allow a hiring manager to get a feel for the type of person you are, and they can use this information to see if you are a good ‘cultural fit’ for the role and organisation.